After starting the first two months of the season off well, Erik Bedard has struggled in the month of June. Over five starts in each of April and May, Bedard posted a 2.48 and 3.91 ERA, respectively. However, after giving up four runs in the Pirates 5-4 loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday,...

We’ve referred to State College as the “fastball academy” the last few years. But this year there’s a new focus for Spikes pitchers: the changeup. “We’re just trying to teach these guys how to pitch,” Spikes’ pitching coach Justin Meccage said. “Mainly the changeup, and how important that changeup is in helping...

PITTSBURGH, PA — After the Pirates lost 3-2 to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday at PNC Park, Manager Clint Hurdle said that Jeff Karstens would get the ball on Monday in Philadelphia. Karstens was originally scheduled to make his final rehab start today in Triple-A, but was pulled from the start. Prior to the...

The Pittsburgh Pirates gave Clay Holmes a $1.2 M signing bonus to break his commitment to Auburn last year. The bonus was a record for a ninth round pick, and is tied for the biggest bonus in Pirates’ history outside of the third round. The right-handed pitcher signed close to the deadline,...

Luis Heredia will begin the 2012 season in State College, which is an aggressive push for a player at his age. Heredia is 17 this year, and won’t turn 18 until the middle of August, when the short-season league will be coming close to the end of the season. The New York...

Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Kyle McPherson has been out of action all year with shoulder inflammation. McPherson went down with the injury in the final weeks of Spring Training after struggling in his first start in minor league camp after being cut from big league camp on March 18th. Since then, the...

On Friday we released the 2012 Mid-Season Top 20 Prospects list. The list not only looked at the placements of the new draft picks, but also looked at the updated rankings after the first half of the minor league season. The rankings are gathered by taking the average of five different top...

You don’t usually see a lot of promotions in the first two months of the season. So far this year we’ve seen a few relief pitchers promoted up a level, but none of the top prospects moving up through the system. In the past, a lot of the promotions start in June,...

Earlier this week, Keith Law mentioned that he would have Alen Hanson as a top five prospect in the system. Law has been one of the few who gives Hanson a strong chance at sticking at shortstop, which explains the ratings. A shortstop prospect with Hanson’s hitting skills and speed would not...

Over the off-season, Tim Alderson went back to an old throwing program he used in high school, long tossing from distances of 300-350 feet in order to rediscover the arm strength he lost in 2009. The Pirates were able to get him from the San Francisco Giants in 2009 after his velocity...